Meeee-ow!
by WritingRowlet
Summary: Amanda and Akko rescue a kitten and end up becoming cat parents together. Amandakko/Amakko! T for occassional swearing
1. Meet the Baby

Akko skipped happily down the sidewalk as she headed back to the dorms. She'd done so well with practice! Professor Ursula seemed so excited for her! All was going so well; Akko couldn't be happier!

" _Argh, c'mere you lil –_ "

"Huh?" Akko looked up to see Amanda. Well, Amanda's leg. The girl was perched in a tree, squirming wildly at what seemed like nothing. "Amanda, what're you doing?" Akko asked, stepping up to the tree's base.

"Akko! Perfect timing!" Amanda sat up and held down a hand. "Get up here and sit on that branch!"

"Uh, OK?" Akko took the hand and let Amanda help swing her up onto the branch. Once up in the tree, Akko noticed a small orange and gray kitten with long fur. "Ah, a kitten!"

"Yeah, she's got barbed wire wrapped around her paw and she won't let me catch her!" Amanda explained. "Just distract her so I can snatch her," Amanda commanded, swatting at the cat.

"Right!" Akko made herself look smaller and presented a hand, lightly drumming her fingers against the branch. The kitten locked eyes on the hand and tracked her with intense interest.

"Gotcha!" Amanda lifted the cat up and held her against her chest. The two witches hopped out of the tree and Akko examined the kitten's foot.

"Oh jeez…looks like the wire got stuck in her leg, not just wrapped around it." She gently tugged the wire off and dropped it to the ground. Small pricks of blood surfaced, so Amanda wiped them away before setting the kitten down.

"All better, little girl!" the redhead announced. "Thanks, Akko."

"No prob!"

The two girls headed for the dorms, only stopping when a mew sounded from the bottom of the steps. Akko let go of the door handle and they both looked down to see the little kitten sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Once she noticed the girls looking at her, she let out a loud cry.

"Hey, go home!" Amanda said, waving her hands at the cat. "Go home; your mom is probably really worried!"

"Unless she doesn't have a mom?" Akko suggested.

"What do you mean?" Amanda asked. "She's a kitten!"

Akko picked up the kitten and turned her over, noticing the dirt across her tummy and paws. "She looks like she's about 6 weeks old, so she doesn't _need_ a mom…but she's definitely underweight…I think she might've been abandoned."

"What?" Amanda looked taken aback. "But if she's a big enough kitten, shouldn't she be OK anyway?"

"In some ways…but I don't think she can hunt for herself," Akko went back up the steps to rejoin Amanda, only for the kitten to reach out a paw to the other girl.

"What's she doing…?" Amanda asked, leaning away from the cat.

"I think she wants you to hold her," Akko said with a giggle.

"I'm not a cat person!" Amanda insisted. Akko held the kitten out to her, and the baby simply mewed and cried out, stretching her paws toward Amanda. Eventually, she caved and took the kitten awkwardly, holding her on her back like a human baby.

Akko snickered and shook her head. "Not like that!" She helped flip the kitten back onto her belly, and the kitten curled into the bend in Amanda's arm. Soon enough, she was asleep.

"Now what do we do with her?"

"Let's go get her some food and we can deal with her in the morning," Akko suggested. They both watched the sun sinking down for a moment before heading inside and sneaking down to the kitchen.

"I kinda doubt they have _cat food_ in here, Akko," Amanda hissed from where she kept watch.

"Hmm…oh! Here we go!" Akko snatched cans of tuna and chicken from the pantry. She tossed open the fridge door and grabbed some yogurt as well. Before running out, she took a small saucer to use as a plate. "Alright, let's go!"

* * *

Akko mixed the tuna with a bit of yogurt to make it softer before letting the kitten start to eat. The kitten scarfed the food down eagerly, taking no time to down half a can of tuna.

"Someone's real hungry," Amanda snickered from where she laid on her bed.

"She definitely liked that," Akko said, stroking the cat when she nuzzled into her leg. "Now for some water, baby," she cooed as she poor a bit of water onto the saucer. The kitten lapped it up quick enough to give herself the hiccups.

"Good going!" Amanda laughed, dangling a hand over the edge of her bed. The kitten came over and sniffed at her hand before swatting at the fingers. Soon enough, the kitten fell over and yanked the hand down to bite and lick. "Agh, hey!" Amanda took her hand back and cradled it. "What was that for?!"

"Someone wants to play!" Akko laughed. "…I've got an idea!" she squealed, popping up off the floor and startling the kitten.

"Care to share?" Amanda asked, placing her hands behind her head.

"Come on!" Akko took her hand pulled her to her feet, yanking Amanda out the door. The kitten followed, staying on Amanda's heels.

* * *

"Professor Ursula!" Akko called, knocking insistently on the door to her teacher's room. "Professoooooor!"

"Yes, yes, what is it, Akko?" Ursula appeared. "Amanda?"

"Can we have a few feathers?" Akko asked, cheery smile never fading.

"What on Earth for?"

"For a project!" Akko explained without missing a beat.

Then, there was a soft _mew!_ from Amanda. "What was that?" Ursula asked.

"Uh… _achoo!_ I think I might be, uh, catching a cold!" Amanda tried.

"…So anyway, about those feathers?"

* * *

"What're you doing with those, anyway?" Amanda asked as she watched Akko tie a piece of string around the four feathers they collected.

"Now it's a toy!" Akko announced, presenting the feather bundle happily. "All you have to do is wrap it around your finger and…" Akko laid the feathers on the floor and tugged them back slowly, pulling them ever farther away from the curious kitten. With a quick jerk of the string, the feathers flew across the floor, and the kitten pounced.

Akko ran the kitten around and around until she couldn't run anymore. Amanda snickered and sat up, slipping onto the floor beside Akko. "You're really good with her," Amanda said, watching as the kitten crawled onto her lap. Amanda laid a hand on her belly and made lazy circles with a finger.

"And yet she still likes you best," Akko snickered.

"I have no idea what I'm doing. Maybe you should keep her in your room for the night. Y'know, just so she doesn't die or something…"

"I don't think she'd be happy with just me, though. Besides, you obviously care about her," Akko said. "She'll be fine, just put down a blanket on the floor if you don't want her in your bed."

"I don't know…"

"Also, aren't we not supposed to have pets on campus?" Akko started, "It'd be an act of rebellion to keep her here…"

"…You drive a hard bargain, Kagari." Amanda sighed and scooped the kitten up, placing her gently on the bed.

"I'll see you in the morning!" Akko hopped up and headed for the door. She smiled when she looked back to see Amanda petting the kitten's cheeks gently. As much as Amanda didn't want to admit it, she liked that kitten.


	2. Exciting Day

_Knock, knock, knock!_

"Oh, Amandaaaaa!" Akko sang. She wrapped her knuckles against the door once again, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She knew that Amanda wasn't always one for early mornings, but the sooner they got supplies for the kitten, the better. "Amanda!" Akko called once again when she received no answer.

Puffing her cheeks in irritation, Akko took the doorknob and forced the door open, expecting to see Amanda sound asleep in bed. Instead, however, she found Amanda playing with the kitten. It seemed like she had been so absorbed in playing that she hadn't heard Akko.

The toy from the night before was tied to Amanda's wand to make it longer and easier to use. The kitten didn't seem to mind as she ran around and chased the makeshift toy happily. Akko giggled at the cute scene, hating that she had to interrupt it.

"Seems like you're having fun," she said before plopping down beside Amanda.

"Akko!" Amanda yelped, jumping where she sat. The kitten jogged over to the two and pawed at Amanda's sheets, begging to be let up. She mewed loudly and made small hops as if they'd allow her up. "No no, Pumpkin," Amanda fussed, unhooking tiny claws from her bedding. The kitten raced off to find something else to play with.

"Pumpkin?" Akko questioned, a sly smile on her face. "You named her?"

Amanda felt her face heat up and she turned away, scooting back on the bed to hide. "Well, it felt weird just calling her Kitten…and it just happened, OK?"

"Why Pumpkin, though?" Akko asked. "She has way more gray on her than orange!"

"Don't worry about it!"

" _Mrow!_ "

The two girls looked down to see Pumpkin dragging something out from under Amanda's bed. It looked like…a baby blanket? Yeah, a baby blanket covered in jack-o-lanterns!

"Hey, give that!" Amanda fussed. She dropped to the floor and wrestled the blanket away, stuffing it under arms. "You know you're not supposed to play with this!" Pumpkin squeaked and nuzzled Amanda's knee.

"So that's where the name came from," Akko commented. Amanda could practically _hear_ the smirk.

"Don't tell anybody, OK?" Amanda pleaded. "Even Constanze and Jasminka don't know about my blankie…"

Akko giggled and shook her head. "Don't worry, I won't say anything. Promises!" She got to her feet and lifted Pumpkin into her arms, dancing around with the kitten. "But, I think it's time we go get some supplies for this cutie!"

* * *

Once in town, the two witches sought out a pet store. Lucky for them, a small convenience store carried pet supplies.

"What all do we need for her?" Amanda asked, following behind Akko with Pumpkin nestled in her arms.

"We need food, litter, something for her to scratch on, and maybe some real toys!" Akko pulled can after can of food off the shelf, examining it carefully. Amanda took one look at the food aisle and felt incredibly overwhelmed. How the hell were you supposed to choose?! They all looked the same, just with different colors and different cat mascots! "Here, this kind'll do!" Akko announced, "And they have a box with three different flavors!"

"How do you know that one's good?" Amanda asked.

Akko reached for one of the other kinds as well as the one she chose, holding them out for Amanda to see. "This one has chicken listed first, which means there's more of that in it. _This_ one has corn and potatoes, which kitties don't need at all," Akko explained. She scooted down and pulled off a can of kitten formula as well as a set of three bottles. "And since she's still really little, it won't hurt to feed her a bottle of slurry a day."

"What about her dry food?" Amanda asked, reaching for a blue bag.

"No!" Akko smacked her hand down and puffed her cheeks, hands on her hips. "Those are basically just pieces of corn with pretty colors!"

"Alright, alright…" Amanda sighed and followed suit, letting Akko put a bag of pine pellet litter in their buggy basket. Then they moved on to the toys, and Amanda finally felt like she could be some help. "She really liked the feathers, but she also got ahold of a bolt this morning and had a lot of fun batting that around and chasing it."

"OK, then how about some mice toys!" Akko pulled a pack of mice with feather tails off a hook and presented it for Pumpkin to sniff.

"Looks like she's interested," Amanda said with a snicker, scratching the top of the kitten's head. Then she looked up and spotted a green ribbon. Akko followed her gaze, then snickered knowingly before stretching up to grab it.

"I take it you wanna match?" Akko teased.

"What? No way!" Amanda turned up her nose, huffing. "It's your choice, Miss Cat Lady!"

"Sure it is…" Akko deadpanned. They made their way to the front and got in line, only for Diana to come in.

"Shit!" Amanda hissed, ducking. "It's Diana! We gotta hide; she'll turn us in!"

So, both girls dashed down a random aisle, shoving their buggy along as quietly as possible. They sunk to the floor and crouched, eyeing either direction. It was only when they heard a quiet mew that Amanda noticed Pumpkin wasn't in her arms.

"Pumpkin!" they both squealed. Amanda hopped up and dashed down the next aisle while Akko ran back to the front. "Any luck? No!" they said in unison, both looking around desperately.

"What's a cat doing in here?" came Hanna's voice, and both Amanda and Akko gasped.

"Oh, it's kinda cute!" Barbara cooed.

"Nevermind that," said Diana, who stooped down to pick up the kitten. "This store doesn't allow strays inside…so what is she doing in here?"

It took everything in Amanda to keep her planted behind the apple display. Akko seethed beside her, and Amanda was sure that if it weren't for her own hand around Akko's the girl would've pounced already. They had to sit and watched as Diana took the cat outside and dumped her, and stay still even longer as all three girls came back inside. Then, once they were sure the coast was clear, Amanda bolted out the door.

"Pumpkin!" she called.

"Pumpkin, where're you?" Akko called.

" _Mrew_!"

Relief washed over both girls, and Amanda snatched her up in her arms quickly. "Never scare us like that again!"

"C'mon, let's go get our stuff…" Akko tugged on Amanda's sleeve to get her to follow.

* * *

Once back at school, the two made themselves comfortable in Amanda's room once more.

"Do you have an old shoe box?" Akko asked.

"Uh, yeah," Amanda pawed underneath her bed until she pulled out a box. Akko took the lid and dumped a layer of litter into it. "That's the weirdest litter box I've ever seen."

"Well, she's just a kitten. When she gets bigger, then we can get her a real box."

"Woah, woah, woah," Amanda started, scooting closer. "We're _keeping_ her _how long_?"

"Amanda, you named her," Akko said gently, setting a hand on the redhead's lap. "How long do you think?"

Amanda looked down and blushed, getting to her feet quickly. "I just thought we were keeping her 'til she was big enough to be adopted! And I only named her because it was weird for her _not_ to have a name!"

"Well, like it or not, you're attached," Akko said. She picked up the kitten and got to her feet, holding the little fuzzball out and pressing her to Amanda's cheek. "You _wuuuuuv_ her!" she cooed.

"Shuuuush!" Amanda whined. Though, she couldn't help but laugh when Pumpkin licked at her face.

"Why don't we get that ribbon on her, yeah?" Akko suggested. Amanda nodded and grabbed the ribbon from her bed. "Here, you hold her and I'll tie it on."

"Yeah that's probably a good idea…" Amanda said, taking the kitten in her arms. Akko rearranged Pumpkin so that her paws were tucked in Amanda's hand and her bottom was supported with her facing Akko. She tied the ribbon snugly, smiling at the cat lovingly.

"I think we just managed to make her even cuter!" Akko cooed. "I'm gonna go grab my camera, don't move!"

And, with the excitement written all over Akko's face as well as the teaching roles being flipped for once, Amanda found herself with one particular thought. "I think we managed to make _you_ even cuter, too, Akko…" Amanda felt her stomach soar and she buried her smile in Pumpkin's fur. This couldn't be good.

"I got the camera!"


	3. An Itching Feeling

When they decided to have a sleepover, there were at least a million things Amanda could've expected to do. None of those happened to involve bathing the kitten. It really wasn't fair, y'know, since Jasminka and Constanze were sound asleep with Lotte and Sucy while they were in the bathroom.

"I got the dish detergent," Amanda announced, her voice laced with tiredness and grumpiness. She closed the door as quietly as she could and slunk over to Akko's side.

"Awesome," Akko said her thanks through a yawn and turned the water up from a trickle to a steady stream. Pumpkin yawned and stretched against Akko's collarbone, unsuspecting of her fate as the sink filled up. Once a shallow pool filled with suds had formed, Akko set the kitten down.

" _Mrow, mrow! Mrew!"_ Pumpkin cried out. She tried wobblingly to escape, but Akko simple put her back in the center and started to scrub. " _Mewww_!"

"I know, I know, sweetie," Akko cooed.

"Oh, that's so gross," Amanda said. She stepped to sink's side and started to splash some water over Pumpkin and scrub at her as well. "I didn't think she had so many fleas."

"Well, I guess it makes sense since she spent the first few weeks of her life outside in the bushes and tall grass," Akko said. She crouched down to get eyelevel with the cat, smiling sweetly as she smoothed the suds through her fur.

The water became as gray as Pumpkin's diluted fur, and black and white specks floated to the top of the bubbles. Grit and dead fleas made the bottom of the sink feel disgusting, even worse when it went under Amanda's nails.

Akko lifted Pumpkin out of the bath and turned the water back on to rinse her off.

" _Mrooooow!"_

"I know!" Akko cooed in the same tone as the baby. "It's just awful!"

Amanda snickered and emptied the sink. They returned to Akko's room, and Amanda rubbed the towel all over Pumpkin until her fur poofed out. Both girls laughed and snickered as Pumpkin continued to yell at them. "She sure likes to tell us how she feels," Amanda commented as Akko combed through the kitten's fur.

"Yeah, I've never had a kitten who made so much of a fuss," Akko said with a snicker.

"How many have you had?" Amanda asked. She felt a small weight settle on her hand when Pumpkin curled up on the towel that she'd curled around her fist.

"Well my parents foster kittens, so there's always a litter in the house."

"Ohh, that makes sense now." Amanda lifted her legs up onto the bed and sat criss-cross, pulling her hand away from Pumpkin's little nest. "What now?" Amanda asked, going back to discussing their cat. "She's still pretty soaked."

"We just need to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't get sick since she's not too good at regulating her own body temperature yet," Akko explained.

The two then spent the next ten minutes building a wall of fleece-y warmth around Pumpkin, and then the next two minutes after that falling asleep around those walls.

* * *

Amanda woke up first that next morning to the sound of snickering. Her nose twitched and she refused to open her eyes, too comfortable with the fluff ball on her neck and…tshirt tail in her fist. She slowly cracked open one eye only to see that she was asleep on Akko's stomach.

Pumpkin hopped off her neck and landed on Akko's face, which woke up the girl. "Hey!" Akko whined, jerking up to fuss at the cat. Only, she managed to make Amanda nearly roll off the bed.

"Akko!" Amanda yelped. She clawed her way back up onto the bed and glared at the girl, then at the kitten.

"Good to see you two slept well," Sucy teased from her bed. Amanda whipped her head around to see four pairs of eyes watching them.

"We didn't mean to fall asleep like that!" Amanda insisted. It took everything in her to hide the blush creeping up on her face. "C'mon, guys!" It was extremely rare to hear _Amanda O'Neill_ whine, yet here they were.

Then a small cry for attention from Pumpkin broke all the tension up. Amanda and Akko both looked to her, which just made her mew even louder and longer.

"I think she's hungry…" Akko said. She got out of bed and went to fix a bottle of slurry. Amanda picked her up and cradled her against her collar, letting the kitten crawl up onto her shoulders as she made her way to Akko. "Here, baby," Akko cooed, then she noticed how high up the kitten was. " _Amanda_ ," she fussed, hand on her hip.

"Fine, fine," Amanda snickered, stooping down so Akko could feed the kitten.

"Couldn't you just hold her?" Lotte asked, trying her best not to laugh.

Amanda turned to look up at her and gave a grin. "Why would I do that? That'd be too easy!"

Constanze rolled her eyes, and Sucy just scoffed. This was ridiculous. These two were ridiculous.

"All done!" Akko cooed, scratching Pumpkin's chin as Amanda stood up straight.

"Thank God, that was getting really uncomfortable…" Amanda complained. Akko rolled her eyes and took the kitten off her shoulders so Amanda could stretch.

"You didn't _have_ to stoop like that. You could've just held her like a normal person," Akko said.

"Pssh, what's the fun in that?" Amanda smirked and crossed her arms.

"Let's just go get her the flea medicine," Akko said. Amanda could tell she was trying very hard not to laugh, and she felt even more proud of herself as they left the room to get the medicine since Akko broke out in a grin and shoved her around. "You're such a goof sometimes!"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Amanda said, putting her hands behind her head. Pumpkin crawled up onto Akko's shoulder to sniff Amanda's elbows, effectively tickling Amanda with her cold wet nose. "Ah, hey!" she squeaked out, jerking her arms away.

Akko bust out laughing. "Ticklish, aren't we?"

"No, don't you dare!" Amanda ran off ahead to her room, Akko hot on her heels. "We're just getting flea stuff!"

"Tickle, tickle, tickle!"

" _Mrooow_!"

The others could still hear them from the other room, and Lotte and Constanze both had to sigh while Sucy facepalmed. However, Jasminka, ever the cheery one, was happy for them. "At least they're happy together!" she cooed through a mouthful of chips.

* * *

 **Oh, if only Akko could realize what Amanda's doing...**


	4. A Hairy Situation

"Tadaaa!" Lotte announced, presenting the witch hat she'd just finished. Only, this teeny tiny hat wasn't for any of her friends.

"Ah, it's perfect, Lotte!" Akko squealed, snatching the hat. "Or should I say _purr-_ fect!"

"No, no you shouldn't say that," Amanda groaned. Akko puffed her cheeks in announced, but plopped down beside the other girl any way – close as possible since she knew Amanda apparently had personal space issues and would shut up if she sat close enough.

"Just hold Pumpkin so I can get this on her," Akko ordered. Amanda swallowed hard and nodded, bracing the kitten like Akko had shown her so many times by now. The little hat had a pink band across the brim that matched Akko's, and along with her green ribbon around her neck, well…

"She looks like a watermelon, now!" Amanda said through her snickers. "We're gonna have to rename her!"

" _Mreeeew_!"

"I think that was a no," Akko laughed.

"It's amazing that she even lets you guys put hats and ribbons on her in the first place," Sucy commented; Constanze nodded in agreement.

"I think she's gonna be a little diva," Akko said. She picked Pumpkin off of Amanda's lap and held her close, receiving nibbles on her hair in return.

"So just like you?" Amanda teased.

"You mean just like you!"

"Yeah, riiiiight."

* * *

"Alright, girls!" Professor Nelson shouted. "Today's going to be a free day – just no dangerous tricks or showing off, right Miss O'Neill?"

"Whatever you say," Amanda said with a sigh, leaning on her broom handle. Her hat slid forward on her head, and Amanda quickly readjusted it so that it leaned far enough back. Akko could've sworn that there was a wince of pain in that annoyed looked, too…What was that girl up to?

"Atsuko Kagari!"

"Yes, ma'am!" So much for questioning Amanda.

"I want you to partner up with an experienced flyer to prac-"

"I'll partner with Amanda!" Akko shouted, startling her instructor. If Amanda had done what Akko was sure she had, then Akko had to make sure she was with the girl before anything bad happened.

"Uh, alright then!" The professor shouted to Amanda, telling her that she had a partner for the day as Akko made her way over.

"I thought you hated practicing with me?" Amanda questioned as soon as Akko was by her side.

It was true, though. Akko couldn't stand going as fast as Amanda went, and her tendency to pull tricks and stunts in the middle of a ride were less than fun. Even when Akko was in the front, Amanda still managed to make the broom do what she wanted, so why did Akko want to ride with her now?

"She's under your hat, isn't she?" Akko's tone was almost reprimanding, and it threw Amanda off. Akko grabbed the brim of her hat, and Amanda had to swat her away and spin around not only to keep Akko from seeing the cloaked cat, but also to keep Akko from seeing the blush rising on her face.

Once she regained composure and fixed the kitten hidden in her hair, Amanda spun back around. "OK, OK, she's under my hat…"

"Mmhmm…" Akko tapped her foot and crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.

"It's not my fault!" Amanda insisted. "When I tried to leave for class this morning, she kept crying for me to come back or she'd grabbed my boots or run in front of me! I had to take her with me!"

"Sure, Amanda."

"It's true!" Amanda crossed her arms and met Akko's "angry" face with her own matching one. The two kept trying to outdo each other, and who knows how long the little game could've gone on if it weren't for one Pumpkin.

Pumpkin slid forward once more and covered Amanda's eyes, a paw slipping out to stick a claw up the girl's nose.

"Ow!" Amanda yelped, stuffing the kitten back up. Akko burst out laughing, clutching her stomach in hysterics. Amanda grumbled and shook it off, taking ahold of Akko's broom to grab her attention. "Are we gonna fly or what?" She tried to sound threatening and serious, but her voice wavered and a smile slipped out when Akko snorted.

"Let's go," Akko said, climbing onto her broom. Amanda hopped on behind her and wrapped her arms around Akko's waist, teasingly resting her chin on Akko's shoulder. Now, under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have done anything for Akko; she'd just shrug Amanda off and jump in the air madly like usual. But, today felt different. Akko felt her face grow hot and she forgot the spell, almost like her brain had fried suddenly. What was this?

Her tummy felt warm as well, and light as a feather. Akko squeezed her eyes shut and willed the feeling to go away, go away, _go away_.

"….ko… _Akko_ , look!" Amanda suddenly shouted, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Huh?" Akko looked down, and they were feet above all the others. "Woah, what happened?!"

"I have no idea what you did, but keep doing it!" Amanda shouted. She sounded so proud, so excited, and that tone pushed Akko forward. "Akko, holy _shit_!" Amanda couldn't believe it; Akko was flying! All on her own!

" _Mrow_!" Pumpkin leapt from Amanda's hat and bounced off Akko's head to stand at the head of the broom.

"Pumpkin!" both girls shouted, reaching a hand out towards her. And then, as quickly as they were flying, they were falling.

"Akko, grab her!" Amanda yelled. She took ahold of the broom and held Akko by the waist as tightly as she could, yanking them both right on the broom and halting in the sky. Akko heaved and heaved, trying to keep her tears in as she held the kitten protectively.

"Never do that again…never, ever again! Don't scare us…like that!" Akko fussed as she petted the purring cat. Pumpkin pushed out of Akko's hold to butt her head against Akko's chin and rub her head all over. She then crawled out of Akko's lap and rubbed against Amanda's arm, purring away as hard as she could.

"Oh, no!" Amanda fussed, yanking her arm away. "You nearly made us fall! No cuddling on the broom!" Akko snickered at the new 'rule', finding it odd that the cat wasn't allowed to cuddle, but apparently Amanda was.

"Let's just get back down, OK?" Akko said. Amanda nodded and took them down to the ground, sticking Pumpkin back in her hat as Professor Nelson and the rest of their classmates ran over.

"That was some of the most reckless, irresponsible flying I've ever seen!"

"Sorry…" Akko apologized, hopping off the broom and hanging her head. It wasn't her fault!

"Sorry? For what?!" Professor Nelson yelled. "The fact that you flew more than makes up for it, Kagari!"

"Huh?" both Akko and Amanda asked in unison. They weren't in trouble for that?!

"I don't know what you did, O'Neill, but I want _you_ tutoring Akko for now on!" Professor Nelson got closer, eyeing the pair suspiciously. "Just make sure _she's_ the one flying, got it?"

"Got it," Amanda said with a grin. She got to help Akko fly, teacher's orders? Yes, please.

"Excellent! Class dismissed!"

Luckily the sound of excited students masked Pumpkin meowing and rustling.

"Guess this is a _purr_ -fect situation, huh, Akko?" Amanda teased, tugging on Akko's ponytail.

Akko covered her tummy as she wondered if she'd get that feeling again. "You've gotta be _kitten_ me…"

* * *

 **Akko can fly by the power of her heart and tummy doing tricks what kind of awful writing-**


	5. Sweet Dreams

"Akko!" Amanda yelled as she burst into the room, startling the three girls inside. "C'mon, you've gotta see Pumpkin!"

"Why? What's up?" Akko asked as she got to her feet, sliding on her slippers as she ran out the door.

"You've just gotta see her!" was all Amanda would say. She yanked Akko down the hall to her own room, pausing at the door and slowly opening the door handle. "Be quiet, ok?" she said in a whisper, tugging Akko over to her bed.

"Ahhhh!" Akko squealed as quietly as she could manage. There in the center of Amanda's bed laid Pumpkin, their ever-adorable tortie kitten, asleep with a stuffed black bear wearing a bowtie between her paws. "That's so cute!"

Amanda snickered and sat down beside her bed, patting the floor beside herself for Akko sit down. "I was in town earlier and saw this lady selling little stuffed animals…Figured that she'd like a play companion other than my fingers or her little mice toys."

"Lots of cats really like having stuffed animals, especially so they can learn to bunny kick."

"Bunny kick?" Amanda questioned. She'd never heard that before.

Akko giggled. "It's what people call it when they kick with their back legs. Basically, that's what they'd do to disembowel prey."

" _Nice_."

* * *

It'd been a few days since Pumpkin had received her new favorite toy, and it was also the morning that Akko and Amanda were taking her in to the vet to get her shots. Amanda held her to her chest as they entered the clinic, letting Akko go ahead to sign them in.

"Here, Pumpkin," Akko cooed as she dangled Bowtie the Bear above the kitten's head.

Pumpkin pawed at the bear wildly, trying her hardest to get it despite Amanda's restraints. "You're gonna have to try harder than that!" Amanda laughed, aiming to tickle the fuzzy belly with each hop. Soon enough, the vet called them back.

"Alright, little one, time for the most fun you're _ever_ going to have," the vet said as she prepared the needles.

Amanda stood squeamishly beside Akko, switching her weight to either foot as she pet the kitten. Akko watched her, following her eyes to the five needles lined up on the counter. It was easy to forget when she'd dealt with so many needles and shots in her childhood that not everyone was comfortable with them, and it was clear that Amanda, ever the fearless one, was not.

Pumpkin didn't seem to mind the first shot she received, looking back at the vet for a second before she returned to Amanda's outstretched palm. "You're doing great," Amanda whispered, wincing as yet another shot went in. Akko felt bad for Amanda. The third shot went in quickly, and Amanda had to turn her head, so Akko decided to try and comfort her by taking her hand. Amanda squeezed her hand tightly and dropped her head onto Akko's shoulder as the final two shots went in.

"Aaaaalright! Looks like we're all done here!" the vet announced, giving a quick pet to Pumpkin before she climbed up Amanda's arm to sit on her shoulder. "Just for the next couple of days monitor her well; make sure that she doesn't start acting odd in any sort of way and if she does, come back in and we'll see what we can do, alright?"

"Okie dokie!" Akko said cheerily.

They made their way back to the receptionist and paid and set up the next appointment for a few weeks down the road. It wasn't until they were back outside that Amanda could finally breathe again. "Well that was awful," she deadpanned, scratching Pumpkin's chin.

"It wasn't _that_ bad," Akko said. "She didn't throw a fit, or really react at all. Honestly, you did worse than she did."

"Hey!" Amanda puffed her cheeks and turned her nose up. "It's not normal to be comfortable with needles, OK?"

"I can understand that if they're going in _you_." Now Akko was just being smug. She dropped Amanda's hand and took off.

"Why, youuuu!" Amanda took off chasing Akko, teasing and playing resumed for the two. Akko laughed and stuck her tongue out as she wove in and out of foot traffic. "Get back here!"

"Never!"

"Akko!"

" _Mrow_!"

* * *

Back at school, the two plus cat made themselves comfortable in Amanda's room. Constanze had disappeared to work, and Jasminka was with Lotte and Sucy, so Akko and Amanda were all alone. They played with Pumpkin mainly, laughing as she stalked Bowtie or jumped in the air after her feather toy. They could've continued for hours, but night eventually fell.

"Oh, it's really dark out…" Akko noted. "I should probably get back to my room…" She hopped to her feet and headed for the door.

"Wait!" Amanda called, stopping Akko in her tracks. "You could always stay here for the night? Since we're, y'know, s'posed to be watching Pumpkin to make sure she's OK. I don't really know what I'm watching for!"

Akko paused for a second, and Amanda was sure she would just walk right out. But, she eventually nodded and giggled. "Alright, an impromptu sleepover doesn't hurt."

As if on cue, Pumpkin hopped into bed beside Amanda. She picked Bowtie up in her mouth and moved to the edge of the bed, leaning against the foot board to go to sleep. The girls took that to be a sign that they should go to bed too, so Akko asked for a pillow.

Man, she'd really kick herself for this in the morning. "Or you could just…sleep with me?" Amanda suggested. She scooted over some to make room, hoping Akko would take the invitation. If she hadn't been having her own mental breakdown, she'd have seen the blush creeping up on Akko's face.

"Yeah, yeah that works…too, I guess, yeah," Akko laid down beside Amanda, and the two tried to keep plenty of distance between each other. They were very careful, very deliberate with every movement so as to keep the proper amount of distance away. Neither understood what was going on with themselves, since just weeks ago they could've easily slept in the same bed, half lain across the other without a care in the world. Now, the resident cat moms couldn't seem to handle being this close in the slightest…

…Oh, _god_ , they were cat moms together! Akko covered her eyes at this realization. Amanda felt her face light up brightly when she realized it.

* * *

The next morning Amanda woke up first. Her legs were tangled up with Akko's, and one arm had been tossed around the other girl's waist some time in the night. Not to mention Akko had turned onto her side and curled up against Amanda, head tucked neatly against Amanda's chest. She was so cute, so calm…Amanda couldn't dare move. Akko would wake up if she moved; she had to go back to sleep!

Meanwhile Akko had woken as well to a kitten licking the bottoms of her feet. Her leg twitched away, which was how she noticed Amanda's own on top of hers. The arm around her waist was a comforting weight, and Akko never wanted it to leave. And once she opened her eyes and saw how nicely she fit against Amanda…well, her only good option was to go back to sleep with a smile on her face because who knew if she'd ever get this opportunity again.

Neither girl was thrilled when Pumpkin pounced on them so they'd have to wake up and feed her.

* * *

 **I made a sideblog on tumblr for LWA! You can go follow forget-diana!**


	6. Amandaexe has stopped working

Ah, the weekend. The time of the week when most girls at Luna Nova went to town, hung out with their friends, or caught up on homework in study groups. The weekend was a time for fun and excitement, especially for one Atsuko Kagari. Until, that is, she came back from town with brown bags of craft supplies.

"What is all of that?" Amanda asked from where she laid on Akko's bed, Pumpkin asleep on her chest.

Akko tossed down the bags onto her bed to show off her haul. She produced a small watermelon patterned scrapbook with cats all over the cover as well as books of scrapbook paper ranging from simple stripes to detailed flowers and fish. She also tossed containers of washi tape, stamp books, and stickers at Amanda. "I also got all of the pictures I've taken developed," she said, pulling the envelope of photos out as she flopped down beside Amanda.

"What's all this for?" Amanda asked, sitting up slowly so as not to wake the kitten.

"We have a bunch of pictures of Pumpkin, might as well make her a scrapbook!" Akko said. "I know we haven't had her since she was born, but better late than never, right?"

"Huh?" Amanda didn't quite know what Akko was going on about, still very confused when Akko sank to the floor and started laying out the pictures on the floor. "Why does she need a scrapbook?" Was there some sort of secret crazy-cat-lady code about this that Akko had not shared yet?

"For every kitten I've ever helped raised, we've made a scrapbook!" Akko started. "They're a great way to log the growth and progress of a kitten, and they're super cute."

"Uh-huh…" Amanda sunk off the bed to sit beside Akko, letting the girl babble on and on about the different things included in the scrapbooks as well as what the different supplies were. She was fairly certain Akko had started talking about her plans for the pages, but Amanda had stopped paying attention, too focused on simply watching Akko talk, watching Akko be excited.

"Are you even listening?!" Akko fussed, snapping in Amanda's face.

Amanda jumped. "Uh! Of course!" _Nailed it._

"Mhmm." Akko huffed and gathered all the photos up, chin held high as she stood and dumped everything on the desk. "In that case, why don't you start cutting out foam frames for me?" She pulled out a pack of glittery foam from under her bed and handed it to Amanda with some wavy scissors.

"OK, I wasn't paying attention," Amanda admitted.

"Amanda!" Akko groaned.

"Sorry!" She got to her feet and tossed Pumpkin down on Akko's bed, crossing her arms.

"She's our cat, so everything we do for her, we're doing together! That even means scrapbooking!" Akko fussed. "Why couldn't you just pay attention?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to zone out! Promises!"

"Then why did you?" Akko sounded upset, and Amanda seriously wanted to hug her. She sounded hurt, and it killed Amanda that she was the one that caused that sound. It wasn't her fault; she couldn't help that she was just… _entranced_ by Akko. Gah, that sounded so corny.

"I – Look, just explain it again. I promise I'll pay attention this time. I swear." Akko stared at her for a moment with a cold look before sighing and re-explaining her plans for the pages. It was so well thought out, and her choice of paper seriously went with their pictures so well. Amanda even chimed in a few times to show Akko which stickers might go better with certain pictures. Soon they settled down in the chairs and got to work, laughing and covering each other in scraps and glue. Pumpkin hopped up on the table to add some personal touches, gnawing on corners and rolling in some wet glue.

By the time one in the morning rolled around, the two had finished nine pages. They wanted to finish one more before calling it a night, so Akko took out her two favorite pictures – the ones of them both holding Pumpkin. The one of Amanda was taken from behind, her head turned so she could place a kiss on the kitten's cheek with Pumpkin clinging to her shoulder like a baby fast asleep. Akko's had Pumpkin on her hip, Bowtie the Bear held just out of Pumpkin's reach. The two pictures made Akko's heart swell, especially Amanda's photo. She had no idea that Amanda could look so…soft? Sweet? Gentle?

Amanda smiled at the pictures and dropped her head on Akko's shoulder to hide her grin. Akko rested her cheek on top of Amanda's head, and the two quickly dozed off. Who knows how long they could've stayed in that uncomfortable position if Pumpkin hadn't jumped on them with a loud " _MROW_!"

* * *

Amanda watched Akko play with Pumpkin that next morning, a lazy smile gracing her face. Lotte and Sucy had returned from their sleep over with Jasminka and Constanze, so Amanda knew that she should leave soon, but she couldn't stop watching the adorable display. Akko was currently playing tug-of-war with the kitten using an old sock, and it appeared that she was losing. Yawns slipped through heavily, and it didn't take much longer for Akko to fall asleep with a stinky sock in her grip. Pumpkin pawed at her face, which made Amanda snicker and pick her up.

"I think you two should probably get some sleep," Lotte said as she helped Akko up.

"Yeah," Amanda said through a yawn. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna head back to my room…"

"OK…" Akko all but whined. She walked Amanda to the door and placed a kiss on Pumpkin's head, ruffling her fur. She then hopped on her tiptoes and kissed Amanda's cheek before slinking back off to her bed, too tired to notice the stares.

That was enough to wake Amanda right up, and she bolted out the door toward her room. Once inside, she ignored the greetings from her roommates to throw herself into bed and scream into her pillow, kicking her feet wildly. Pumpkin sniffed her curiously, and the cold nose on her skin just made her scream even more. Eventually she wore herself out and fell asleep, but she couldn't shake the memory. She couldn't even pretend it was a dream, _she knew_. Akko had _kissed_ her goodbye. They might as well plan the wedding; Pumpkin could ordain the ceremony.


	7. Catsitting

Amanda woke up about half an hour later to the sound of clanking and clambering as Constanze came up from her lab. Constanze stood on her bed with a confused look, blow torch in one gloved hand. Amanda groaned and rolled onto her back, blinking into darkness. "Conse, what am I s'posed to do?" she asked desperately, rubbing her eyes.

"Hm?"

"I mean, I guess it's a _good thing_ that Akko kissed me. That means she likes me, right? To some extent, at least…" Amanda sat up and picked Pumpkin off the ground, settling the kitten in her lap to pet her. "Granted, she was half asleep and had just kissed Pumpkin, so I dunno if that's why she kissed _me_ , too."

"Mhm…"

"Do you think I should just tell her?" Amanda asked, looking up at Constanze, who had yet to sit down or get off of her bed. Constanze stared blankly at her, and Amanda sighed. "You're right, I need to tell her…but how?"

Constanze reached for her chalkboard just too late as Amanda jumped up from her bed. "I'm going for a ride, be back later!" Amanda grabbed her broom and made for the door, flinging it open. "Watch Pumpkin for a little while, OK Conse?"

"Huh?!"

With that, Amanda was gone, door slammed behind herself. Constanze blinked once, twice, thrice, and looked down at the kitten beside her. Well. This was an unusual circumstance. She sat down on the floor and laid on her stomach to be eye level with the kitten, not quite sure what she was supposed to do with Pumpkin. The kitten tilted her head to the side and let out a teeny, _tiny_ squeak before raising a paw to tap Constanze on the nose. Constanze squeezed her eyes shut and wrinkled her nose to brace for the claws, but they never came.

So, when Constanze opened her eyes and pushed herself up on her arms, she was extremely surprised to see the kitten come closer and curl into her chest. What did she do now? Soon soft snores slipped out and Constanze could only think of one thing she _could_ do in this circumstance: she went to sleep right there on the floor beside Pumpkin.

* * *

Constanze discovered that Pumpkin really seemed to like Stanbot. The little robot ran and ran as Pumpkin chased it. As Stanbot tried to dance and distract the kitten, confuse her, she pawed at its hands and feet until it spun like a top. The action startled Constanze, and she felt a smile start to grow and grow and grow until…she felt a giggle.

The silent giggle started to grow as Pumpkin jumped in the air and sat on top of Stanbot's head to scratch at its buttons and switches. The giggle grew and grew, making Constanze shake and double over, breathe in deeply…and that's when she let out a full laugh, a squeaking, shrill guffaw that caught Pumpkin's attention. Soon, Pumpkin was climbing up her bed and crawling in her lap, clinging to her arm so as to climb on top of Constanze's head.

"Unnn!" Constanze snickered and fell over, pealing the kitten off her head and pinning her to her chest. Pumpkin wriggled out from her grasp and ran to hide under Amanda's bed, and Constanze had to breathe a sigh of relief. That kitten was awfully rambunctious.

* * *

Constanze knocked on the bottom of the bed frame and the floor until Pumpkin emerged from under the bed. The kitten looked up at her with a look akin to _very, very confused_. From behind her back, Constanze produced a small pirate hat and eyepatch. Pumpkin sniffed the present and rubbed her cheeks against it, so Constanze took that as a good sign and took the witch's hat off Pumpkin's head and replaced it with both the eye patch and pirate hat.

There. Now Pumpkin was presentable. Constanze was proud of herself, and she let the kitten crawl up her arm and sit on her shoulder, tail wrapped around her neck. She was starting to understand why Amanda and Akko were so obsessed with the little cat.

* * *

Constanze realized not too long later that she needed to feed the kitten. Pumpkin sat beside her little dish and stared up at the girl, a silent mew pleading for some food. Unfortunately, Constanze wasn't sure quite how much she was supposed to feed the kitten, or if she was supposed to have a bottle or just straight food. So, she grabbed a can and popped the lid off, recoiling at the smell.

It was horrible! Way too smelly! Constanze looked at the kitten with sorrow in her eyes and sighed heavily. There was no way she was going to torture this kitten with such nasty smelling food. So, Constanze made her way down to her lab quickly and came back up with a plate of brown sugar cookies. She sat them down in front of the kitten and waited expectantly, urging as well as she could. Pumpkin sniffed the cookies curiously, then she took a hesitant lick.

Constanze had never seen anyone, human or animal, down an entire plate of cookies in under five minutes. She was very impressed, and slightly scared.

* * *

Amanda came back not too long after that, a grin spread across her entire face. She tossed her broom down on her bed and snatched Pumpkin off the cookie plate where she'd decided to nap. Amanda spun around in a circle, holding the kitten above her head. "I've got a plan! I'm gonna tell Akko, Pumpkin!" she practically sang. "C'mon, let's get going!"

Constanze watched her roommate and the kitten leave, and she waved to Pumpkin. The kitten mewed a goodbye, and Constanze grinned. That cat was something special, and Constanze liked her more than she thought she would…

…Now, how did she pry the cat away from her mothers every now and then?


	8. Cat Moms

Akko groaned and rolled over in bed when she heard insistent knocking on her door. Both Lotte and Sucy had gone to dinner with promises of bringing something back up for her, so who could possibly be needing inside so badly? Groggily, Akko dragged her sleepy self out of bed and to the door, tugging it open.

"Amanda?" Akko questioned with a yawn. "What're you doing here?"

Amanda held Pumpkin by her armpits, supporting her bottom so all of her limbs stuck out. She pressed a kiss to the top of Pumpkin's head, then pushed the kitten toward Akko until noses touched. Akko blinked in surprise, not quite sure what was happening.

"Can we talk about something?" Amanda asked, repositioning the kitten in her arms.

"Uh, yeah! Of course…"

The two sat down on Akko's bed and Pumpkin ran around on the floor. It was now or never, and Amanda didn't know where to go from here. Her mind went blank as she tried to think of how to say this. She opened her mouth to speak, only to clamp it shut again. Sneaking a glance at Akko, Amanda could tell she was nervous. Akko's shoulders were tense, and she kept more of a distance between them she ever bothered with, opting to keep her attention on Pumpkin.

"Akko-"

"Amanda-"

They both stopped and locked eyes, neither breaking eye contact until Amanda burst into laughter. She fell back and covered her face, boisterous laughter spilling out. Akko tried to look annoyed, puffed cheeks and narrowed eyes trying their hardest, but she had to cave. It was so funny to them how serious they'd made this situation. They were _cat moms_ together, for better or for worse, 'til death do them part.

 _They were utterly ridiculous_.

"Akko," Amanda called through snickers, tugging on Akko's sleeve. "Akko, can I tell you something?"

"S-sure," Akko said through her own giggles, laying down beside Amanda, propped up on her elbow.

"I think I really like you…maybe even…y'know, the other word."

"Love?" Akko said with a slightly teasing tone that sent Amanda into a blushing _fit_. Amanda nodded nonetheless, hiding her eyes in her elbow. She was so cute, and Akko felt such a bubbliness in her chest, she couldn't keep teasing Amanda like this. "I think I love you, too," she said as she started to sit back up, sitting criss-cross on her bed. She took one of Amanda's hands in her own and played with the digits, ignoring the kitten that just jumped up beside her. "Amanda, open your eyes."

"No, I'm calm this way," Amanda protested.

" _Amanda_ ," Akko fussed. She pried on the arm, fighting to pull it away and reveal those beautiful green eyes. "Amanda, look at me!" she laughed, huffing at the snickers escaping Amanda.

"Fine, fine, fine!" Amanda stopped fighting, dropping her arm to look Akko in the eyes. She blushed immediately, but sat up anyway. "You're really pretty, y'know."

Akko smiled at her and hung her head, pushing her forehead into Amanda's shoulder.

"Hey, Akko?" Amanda mumbled, resting her cheek on Akko's head.

"Mhm?"

"…Can…can I kiss you? Or would that still be too weird?"

Akko pulled away from her shoulder and grinned brightly. "What do you think?" she asked, tossing her arms around Amanda's shoulders. Amanda smirked, wrapping her arms around Akko's waist.

"I think you like to mess with me," she said before pressing her lips to Akko's. The kiss was short and sweet, neither girl being exactly _experienced_ , therefore both being too scared to try anything. However, inexperience didn't stop Amanda from peppering Akko's entire face with tiny kisses, and it certainly didn't stop her from tickling the girl mercilessly, well-placed raspberries making Akko squeal.

However, they weren't the only ones in the room who loved attention. Pumpkin made it quite clear with a loud _MREW_!" that she wanted some affection, too. The two girls looked at her in bewilderment for a moment, then back to each other before bursting into laughter.

"C'mere, Pumpkin!" Akko cooed, snatching the kitten and holding her above her head. "You're the cutest kitten _ever_!"

"Oh, Pumpkin, no cat could ever compare!" Amanda practically cried, throwing herself down onto the floor, faking praise. She snatched the kitten from Akko's hold and placed her on the ground, grabbing the feather toy to play with her.

The two girls laughed and played, falling into the comfortableness they were familiar with. The only difference was that Akko sat a bit closer to Amanda, now.

"Hey," Akko started once she noticed something. "What's Pumpkin wearing?"

Amanda picked the kitten up and finally noticed the pirate hat where the witch's hat usually sat. "…I let Constanze catsit for a bit while I figured some stuff out…"

Akko burst into laughter and scooted closer, scratching Pumpkin's cheeks. "I didn't think Conse would be one to play dress-up with a kitten!"

"I guess no one can resist Pumpkin's charms," Amanda said with a snicker. "Not that that's a bad thing…"

"You're right." Akko placed a kiss on Amanda's cheek. "Without those charms, we wouldn't be cat moms together." Good lord, they were cat moms together. Better yet, they were _girlfriends_ because of a kitten.

What had their lives become?!


	9. Party Time!

"You think we need streamers?"

" _Of course_ we need streamers, Amanda. What kind of party doesn't have streamers?" Akko pointed to a powder blue role of streamers that was just out of her reach, and Amanda handed it to her with ease.

The two girls had a plan for a one month anniversary surprise party for Pumpkin. It was going to be great – balloons, streamers, cake, and cat food galore. The idea was mostly Amanda's, but she chose to let Akko run with it since she was a lot better at party planning. Nevertheless, Akko made sure that the others knew it was her _wonderful, terrific, adorable girlfriend_ that came up with the idea. And Amanda was sure she'd burst with how flustered she felt.

"You know what we need?" Akko started, skipping down the aisle with her basket. "Cat ears bands!"

"Huh?" Amanda paused with her own basket, scrunching her face up at Akko. "Cat ears bands? Like from Halloween costumes?"

"Yeah, there should be some in the Halloween supplies, let's go look!" Akko snatched up Amanda's hand and yanked her along, not minding the yelp that escaped her girlfriend as they powered through crowds of grumpy mothers and excited kids. "Here we go!" Akko squealed when she spotted the accessory.

"I dunno, Akko," Amanda started, "these don't really look like Pumpkin…" She crossed her arms under her chest, scrutinizing look locked on the four different pairs of ears. One set was solid black and covered in sequins; another was orange and had tuffs of burnt orange mane sticking up. Then there was a leopard print as well as –

Akko plopped a pair of cheetah ears in Amanda's hair, giggling happily. She tucked a few strands of wild hair back and pulled others forward, grinning like crazy. "They suit you!" Akko cooed.

Amanda felt her face light up red, and she wanted to rip the ears off and hide, but she swallowed her pride and nodded for Akko's sake. "Fine…just – just get enough for everybody!"

Akko nodded and pulled off five other pairs of ears before spotting a hidden pair of ears. "Ah, look at these ones!" she squealed, snatching them up and plopping them on her head. They were flower cat ears, and Amanda thought they were adorable. The wire was shaped to look like cat ears, and then roses and daisies were wrapped around the wire like a flower crown. "What do you think?" Akko asked as she stuck silly poses.

Amanda snickered and nodded, leaning over to place a kiss on Akko's cheek. "They suit you, that's for sure."

* * *

That next day was spent decorating Akko's room for the party. They kept Pumpkin in Amanda's room so she couldn't see the party planning, which meant that they worked fast so they could get their cat.

"OK, here comes the streamers!" Akko said as she tossed the roll toward Amanda. Amanda taped it to the ceiling and they repeated with purple, orange, red, and green. They tacked up a banner that said 'CELEBRATE' to Lotte's bed, and balloons quickly filled the room in bunches. By the time they were done decorating and spreading out food, their roommates impatiently burst inside.

"Party time!" Amanda shouted, pushing past the others to get out the door. "I'll be right back with the guest of honor!" She ran to her room and found Pumpkin laying on her bed, Bowtie the Bear between her paws. "Hi, sweetie," Amanda cooed, petting the kitten gently. She scooped Pumpkin up, Bowtie and all, and slowly headed back to Akko's room. "She's here!"

"Yay!" Akko squealed, rushing over to hello to the kitten. "Welcome to your surprise party, baby!"

" _Mrewww_ ," Pumpkin wiggled until she was let down. She explored the room curiously, testing ribbon and streamers cautiously before deciding these were _great_ toys.

"So now what?" Sucy asked. "The cat likes it, so what do we do?"

"We eat!" Akko announced. She ran over and grabbed a plate (which had the design of a tuxedo cat wearing yellow sunglasses, mind you) and started to fill it with food. The other girls followed suit, but before any of them even touched their food, Amanda dished out a whole can of wet food onto a plate and emptied a packet of broth on top. She added a candle on top and lit it, holding it out to Akko.

"You gonna blow out the candle for Pumpkin?"

"Yes!" Akko giggled and told Pumpkin to make a wish, waiting a few seconds before blowing out the candle. With that, Amanda set the plate down in front of the kitten, and they were all allowed to dig in.

* * *

"Oh, Amanda! We forgot the ears!"

"The ears!"

Quickly, Amanda and Akko scrambled to grab the bag with cat ear headbands inside, digging them out and tossing a pair at each girl. Akko fixed Amanda's pair of cheetah ears once again, meticulously rearranging Amanda's bangs. They both grinned widely at each other, and Amanda hugged Akko from the side tightly, barely allowing Akko to move enough to fish out the last thing in the bag.

"Here, Pumpkin," Akko cooed, stooping down. Pumpkin trotted over unsuspectingly with a 'prrrt!' Akko quickly arranged a party hat on the kitten's head, and Amanda grabbed the camera as fast as she could to snap several pictures of the cat. The watermelon-designed party hat was slightly big on Pumpkin, so they had to work fast to get good photos, but within a matter of a minute the hat was a new toy.

"That was perfect!" Amanda laughed, holding the camera out for Akko to take. "Awesome!" She fell to the floor and tickled the kitten's belly, rubbing her wildly to rile her up. Constanze plopped down beside Amanda, and the two made the kitten jump and run in their play.

Then, there was a knock on the door. They all froze and swallowed their laughter (save for Pumpkin) as the door opened slowly. "What is with all the noise coming from in…here…" Diana poked her head inside, and it was impossible to miss the kitten clung to Amanda's wrist. She didn't know what to say, nor was she sure what part of the whole scene was the most surprising.

"You saw nothing," Akko said. "Nothing!"

"I-"

"Don't worry about it!"

"Who-"

"Her name is Pumpkin!"

"Is that the kitten that was in the convenience store a few weeks ago?" Both Akko and Amanda nodded. What was she supposed to do? This wasn't allowed, but there didn't seem to be any harm aside from the glitter bomb that Akko had apparently set off for…whatever they were doing. However, any question of what she should do disappeared when she felt something rub against her leg.

Diana looked down and saw the little kitten staring up at her, and a soft meow escaped the kitten, which effectively melted her heart. She smiled down at the cat before crouching down and petting her on the head.

"…We have cake?" Akko offered.

* * *

"Are you two going to do that really cheesy couples thing for cake?" Lotte asked once all seven girls had their pieces.

"Which one?" Amanda asked. "Smash the cake in each other's face?"

"No!" Lotte sighed. "Locking arms and eating your cake that way!"

Amanda looked at Akko, trying not to laugh. "You want to?"

"Sure!" Akko laughed. The two turned to face each other, already laughing too hard to even pick up their pieces of cake. "OK, OK!" Akko tried to calm herself down as she picked up her piece and linked her arm with Amanda's. To say there was cake casualties would be an understatement. At least they didn't have to worry about sweeping as long as they had a curious kitten around.

"You have a little chocolate there, Akko," Amanda said with a laugh.

"Huh? Where?" Akko wiped at her cheeks and chin, and Amanda shook her head.

She leaned over and stole a kiss on the corner of Akko's mouth, sitting back with a grin. "Right there."

" _Mrow_!" Clearly Pumpkin's moms didn't deserve all the affection at _her_ party!

* * *

 **Inspired by the birthday party my friends and I threw my cat this morning!**


	10. Tiara to Win Her Heart

"Akko," Amanda called as she peaked her head in the room. Akko looked up, raising an eyebrow as Amanda snorted and tried to contain her laughter. "C'mere, you gotta see this…bring your camera…"

Before Akko could even question her, Amanda was out the door. Akko, ever curious, brought along her camera and made her way to Amanda's room. "What did you do?" she asked as she pushed open the door.

" _Mrow_!" Pumpkin yelled, trotting over to Akko. Only…it didn't exactly look like Pumpkin. The kitten instead looked like a shark, only her head and paws sticking out. From her bed, Amanda was trying very hard to contain her laughter, but when Pumpkin looked back at her and yelled before clawing up Akko's leg, she lost it.

"Ohh, you poor kitten!" Akko cooed, settling the kitten – er, shark – on her hip. "What did mean ol' Amanda do to you?"

"She's the one that crawled into it!" Amanda protested. "I just helped her fix it on!"

Akko couldn't help but laugh, and she handed Amanda the camera so that she could take a photo. By the time the two were done fussing over Pumpkin, the kitten was used to the costume and gave protest when they tried to take it off of her.

* * *

"Amanda, come quick!" Akko shouted, throwing open the door.

"What? What is it!" Amanda demanded as she hopped up from her bed, readjusting the strap to her overalls. Akko hurried her along, pushing Amanda to the bathroom as she struggled to contain her laughter.

There, sitting in the water-filled sink, sat a mermaid Pumpkin. Her sparkly pink tail and coconut bra were loose fitting, obviously meant for a cat much older than their kitten, but the effect was still there. Amanda burst out laughing, more surprised that Pumpkin wasn't crying out for help. Instead, the kitten was content to just sit in the water.

"H-How?!" Amanda questioned. She lifted the kitten up, and she clawed her way onto Amanda's shoulder as well as she could given her…hind leg predicament.

"She loves it!" Akko said. "Don't know why, but she does."

* * *

Over the course of the week, the two went back and forth dressing up Pumpkin in more and more insane outfits. The ones she ended up liking the most were the dinosaur, the pumpkin, and her original shark.

The ones she disliked the most were the taco, Snow White, and cow. Pumpkin also got very good at taking these costumes off herself, and slipping the shark on easily. Of course, during the day, Amanda and Akko kept her in her green ribbon and witch hat, but the evenings were met with all sorts of fun.

That is, until they had to study. Pumpkin sat at Akko's feet staring up at her and pawing gently at her ankles. "Not now, baby girl," Akko said, reaching down and scratching the top of her head.

"Gah, this is so booooring!" Amanda groaned, slipping in her chair. As she slipped, Pumpkin gave out a ring and ran over, pawing at Amanda's hand. "Don't tempt me, Pumpkin…"

What was a kitten to do?! Both of her moms were ignoring her! Then there was a knock on the door, and Pumpkin dove under Akko's bed. "It's open!" Akko said, turning in her seat.

In popped Diana, who seemed slightly flustered. Akko and Amanda exchanged looks, unsure of what was quite wrong with the normally cool-as-a-cucumber blonde. "I assume Pumpkin is here with you two?" she asked.

The kitten peaked her head out at hearing her name, then bound over to rub her scent on Diana's legs. Diana grinned down at her and took a seat on Akko's bed. "What do you need with Pumpkin?" Akko asked suspiciously.

"Well, I figured if you two were the ones raising her, she might want a little bit of…pampering," Diana explained. From the bag she brought with her, Diana produced a small brush. She called over Pumpkin and the delighted kitten let her groom her, purring away happily. Diana also pulled out small nail caps, blue ones to be precise, and placed one over each of Pumpkin's front nails. With that, Diana placed a small tiara on Pumpkin's head, and the look was complete.

The kitten was clean, neat, poised, and so _Diana-like_ that neither Akko nor Amanda knew what to make of it. They glanced at Diana's expectant face, then back to their kitten not knowing what to say.

"You're her aunt!" Amanda announced suddenly.

"I-I, what?!" Diana didn't quite know what exactly Amanda meant by that, nor did she understand the _implications_.

"If Akko and I are her moms, so far you and Conse are her aunts!" Amanda insisted, scooping Pumpkin up and roughly petting her. No way could a kitten in her care stay that manicured.

"It makes perfect sense!" Akko shouted, joining Amanda with the rough play.

"How?!" Diana didn't understand! She was just being nice to the kitten for the exact reason that was right in front of her! Those two were lucky to still have the cat!

"Just accept it; you like Pumpkin!" Akko lifted the kitten up and held her in front of Diana, who leaned back to give herself space. Pumpkin let out a cry and stretched out her paws towards Diana until she took her. "See? She even likes you!"

This wasn't what Diana signed up for…but looking at the two in front of her and their excited faces…how could she say no?

…The kitten was cute, she guessed. She could be an aunt. Watching Akko and Amanda care for Pumpkin, and how gentle the two adventurous and wild girls could be…Diana knew that spending more time with them – _with Pumpkin_ – wouldn't be too bad.

"Be careful with her tiara!" Diana fussed, giggling as she squeezed between the two to pepper Pumpkin's face with kisses. The three ended up taking turns kissing Pumpkin or tickling her, homework be damned.


End file.
